Análise dos conteúdos sobre as políticas públicas de saúde nos cursos de fisioterapia da cidade de Uberlândia/MG: uma visão dos estudantes da graduação

Abstract

Introduction: In recent years, the debate on public health policies has gained prominence in the training and practice of healthcare professionals, especially those linked to the Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS). Although there has been progress in this regard, teaching public policies in academic training at universities remains a challenge. Objectives: To identify the knowledge of undergraduate students in the Physiotherapy course in the city of Uberlândia, analyze the quality of concepts regarding the aforementioned topics that are addressed during the students' physiotherapy training, and identify competencies for professional practice involving knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Materials and methods: The nature of this study is qualitative, descriptive, exploratory, and bibliographic, and was divided into stages. Initially, a bibliographic survey was conducted through searches in the databases SCIELO, ScienceDirect, MEDLINE Complete, SCOPUS, PUBMED, and CAPES Journals, which identified scientific productions related to issues on public health policies, as well as a survey of the curriculum outlines and their analysis. Subsequently, the creation of the virtual questionnaire was carried out as a screening tool, with objective and discursive questions, which was applied to the students. Finally, the results obtained were analyzed. Results: The analysis revealed that, although the research participants consider themselves capable of performing the role addressed, there is a perception that their training could be improved throughout their undergraduate education. A more efficient focus on the development of essential skills is necessary, promoting an approach that encourages critical reflection on professional practice. By integrating these competencies into the educational process, the course could provide a stronger foundation for future professionals to understand and tackle the practical challenges of their field from the beginning of their academic journey. Thus, greater emphasis on critical and reflective training during the course could not only enrich technical education but also prepare students for a more autonomous and effective professional practice. Conclusion: It is concluded that the participants, although they consider themselves capable of performing the function that was studied, this qualification could be enhanced during undergraduate studies, more efficiently exploring the skills necessary for critical thinking to be developed regarding this practice during the course trajectory.